Seasoned Moon
by fragiledoll
Summary: You're lying!" Kaya screamed at the man in front of her, shaking her head furiously. "You're a liar!" It was a lie, all of it. Her whole life had been a lie. AU, OC.
1. Chapter I

The car rolled quickly over the cement, carrying Kagome and her mother closer and closer to their destination; the airport. Kagome shook a little bit, nervous about what Kaya might be like. Would she be fun? Would she be constantly in a bad mood, like Inuyasha? Or would be just be a mixture of all moods, changing from one to another. Oh, now wouldn't that be interesting. She sighed and her mother smiled, putting her arm around her.

"Don't worry, Kagome, I'm sure you'll love Kaya."

Kagome looked up at her mother and forced a smile, before peering out the window. The closer they drew the more nervous she got, but thoughts still struck her, one more dominant than the others. Why was she named Kaya, a Japanese name when she was American? It just seemed strange to her. It was possible that her parents just flipped through a baby name book and picked the prettiest one they could find, but it still struck her as odd. Another thought drifted into her mind, although this one had been plaguing her for many days. Why had Mr. Hamata asked _her_ to host a foreign exchange student? Sure, he said it was because her grades were poor but _her_ of all people? Trying to ignore her nervousness, she began to count random things that passed by. 1 tree, 1 house, 2 trees, 1 mailbox, 3 trees, 2 houses...Oh, this is truely boring. She sighed and dipped her head, and her mother nudged her gently. "Kagome, we're here."

She slowly rose her head and glanced around at the big airport, watching the large crowds of people that drifted in and out. She exited the car and let her mother lead her through the airport, dragging a little bit behind her.

"Here we are, Gate 12," Kagome's mother announced cheerfully. "Kaya's plane should be arriving anytime now."

Kagome glanced up at a T.V. showing the arrival times of the planes, and next to Kaya's the word ARRVIED in big green letters popped up. Her heart began to beat as she glanced towards the gate, slowly beginning to see people trickle from the open door. Her mother held up Kaya's picture and smiled as she waved over a girl. The girl had short hair, cut into a bob that was cappuccino colored, and she looked like her age of 16. She had large, amber eyes and wore thin black eye liner around her top and bottom eye lids and was very fair skinned. Kaya was tall, or actually just gave the appearance that she was tall, since she had very long legs which made it seem so. She was actually the same height as Kagome, but maybe just a sliver taller than her, but it was very hard to tell. It was obvious that although Kaya was skinny, she was not athletic. Her arms and legs were like twigs and her stomach was small and sucked in, there was little to no muscle tone. The girl cast them a nervous glance, a meek smile resting on her features.

Kagomes mother smiled sweetly, "Are you Kaya?"

Kaya nodded softly, "I am. It's nice to meet you." Her voice was genuine, although it was a little bit louder than one would expect from a girl her size.

Kagome's mom smiled and nudged Kagome, "It's very nice to meet you, too." Kagome looked towards her and forced a smile.

Kaya smiled and they all moved towards the baggage drop-off, collecting Kaya's bags as they came.

"Did you have a nice trip?" Kagome's mother asked, trying to make small talk. She didn't notice the anxiousness that Kagome gave off, or if she did she chose to ignore it.

Kaya smiled softly and nodded, "Yes, it was very comfortable."

As they exited the airport, Kaya's cell phone went off, playing a song unknown to Kagome. It sounded sort of pop rockish. Kaya rummaged through her duffle bag and eventually found it, answering it.

"Hello? Oh yes, hi mom. Yes, I just got here. Yes, they are very nice. Yes, I will call and check in with you before I go to bed. Yes, I love you too, bye mom." Kaya snickered and rolled her eyes, "My mother is very overprotective."

Mom frowned softly, "It's only because she loves and cares for you."

Kaya nodded delicately in reply although she didn't say anything. The group moved towards the car and entered it, driving home only to be greeted by Souta and Grandpa. Grandpa was the first to greet her.

"Welcome to Japan! Here, I have Mermaid Scale for luck, always keep it with you."

Kaya took the "scale" and held it up to her face, examining it with a light fascination, smiling. "Thank you, I will always be sure to do that."

Souta moved up to greet Kaya, staring at her with googly eyes.

"H-H-Hiii.." Souta said, stumbling over his words. "I-I'm Souta."

Kaya smiled and extended her hand for him to shake, "It's nice to meet you, Souta."

Souta took it and shook it, almost fainting and falling forward as he bowed, giving her the proper respect.

Kagome snickered and grabbed her little brother. "You'll have to excuse him, he's not really..with it."

Kaya smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry about it. I have three little sisters at home so I know how they are."

Kagome stared, "Three?! How can you deal with that many?! I can barely deal with one!"

Kaya smiled, "With a LOT of practice."

Just then, the sliding glass door opened, and who entered? An all to familiar hanyou, Inuyasha.

--

After much screaming, yelling, and Kaya getting over her fascination with Inuyasha's ears, Inuyasha left, and Kagome went with him. Inuyasha had come back trying to get Kagome to come home, but it had failed, at first. When Kaya had first seen him she shrieked in surprise, but then _really_ glanced at him.

"_Oooh, how cute!"_ She had said as she wandered over to him, patting his head and flexing his ears. "_Pretty doggy! Doggy want a scratch behind the ears?"_ Kaya had started to scratch him behind his ears, and Inuyasha had enjoyed it for a few moments, before he realized what was going on and stopped her.

"_I'm not a dog, I'm a dog demon!" _He growled, obviously a bit annoyed with the mix up.

"_You have dog ears, _of course _you're a dog." _Kaya jumped towards Inuyasha and scratched behind his ears again.

Inuyasha's eyes closed as his tongue fell from his mouth in a pant when he suddenly jumped back. _"Stop that!"_

"_Kagome he is your pet?" _Kaya shot Kagome a sly look, a wide smirk spreading on her features.

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle as Inuyasha growled, stepping between the two and separating them.

After much debate about whether a dog demon was just a branch off the dog family tree, or if he was just there on his own, Kagome had told him in private that she would go with him if he would stop arguing with Kaya. He agreed, and they left.

Kagome apologized to Kaya for having to leave so suddenly, but Kaya said she didn't care. She said she wasn't really in the mood for doing anything anyway, since she was still very tired from her flight. So Kagome promised she would come back in two days and they would go do something, and Kaya happily agreed. And then Kagome and "the pretty doggy" were off.

--

Kaya wandered around the backyard, still worked up over the doggy. She had never seen anything like it before, I mean it was like he was half human half dog, but yet she wasn't scared of him. In fact, she had taken sort of a "liking" to him. Not a "liking" in the "like-like" since, but she found him funny. Plus it seemed like Kagome already had dibs, and she would never move in on another girls boyfriend.

Right now she was too tired to move, but yet was to restless _not_ to move. What was this poor girl to do? That flight here had really taken a lot out of her but she seemed strangely fascinated by the back yard, finding the natural beauty in Japan amazing, it was all so different. Even the trees were different; the way they grew and the branches were formed was more curvy. It was all so new and she was fascinated with it all. She frowned and picked up a stick and threw it, it landing in the shrine, thing Kagome had told her about earlier. That was where Kagome went to that one place.. Ahh, it didn't matter now. All she knew was that Kagome went some place with Inuyasha through there. She wasn't really paying much attention when Kagome was explaining it to her (more fascinated by Inuyasha than anything). She wandered into the shrine and began to look around, trying to find the stick. Ah, there it was! By the well. She scuttled towards the well and bent down to pick it up, peering into the well at the same moment. Suddenly, a bright purple light began to glow from within the well, and before she even knew it, she began moving towards it! Her eyes widened as they fixated on the beautiful light, her mind losing more and more control over her bodies movements the closer she drew to the light. She lowered herself into the well and before she even jumped off the ladder, she was sucked in.

Kaya found herself traveling through some dimension, and her heart began to beat quickly. Holy shit, where the hell was she?! The purple light consumed her now and she appeared to be floating in mid-air, moving towards..nothing? There was nothing ahead of her and yet.. she was still moving forward. As suddenly as she had left she appeared back inside the well, but where the ladder was previously, there were vines. Huh? That's weird. She slowly climbed up them and glanced around, stopping right in her tracks. What?! Where was the shrine?? Kagome's house?! She slowly exited the well and began to wander around aimlessly, now totally dumbfounded about where she was. _What. The. Fuck. _The words repeated in her mind over and over again as she twirled in a circle, seeing nothing but trees and grass that stretched aimlessly onwards. Oh god, what did she do! Kaya hopped back in the well and shut her eyes, opening them a few seconds later to find that she was still in the same well with vines and all. _Crap, crap, crap!_

_Oh, where was Kagome?_ She sighed and sat down on a rock, putting her hand under her chin and her elbows on her knees. Kagome knew all about this well apparently, she'd know what the hell happened and how she'd be able to get home. Just then, she heard growling behind her. She slowly rose her head and her eyes widened, shock consuming her body as she stood still. A strange, large blue creature stood behind her. He looked absolutely hideous; his nails were long and sharp, his back was hunched, his spine protruding from his back. He growled louder and said, "Ahhh, it's been quite some time, wolf mutt. I didn't expect to see you around these parts." His tone was mocking, his eyes narrowing as he focused in on the small girl.

Kaya blinked. Wolf mutt? What was he talking about, she had never seen wolves before except in zoos. Wait, did he just call _her_ a wolf mutt? Oh god, what did she do! She must have fallen asleep in the well. Yup, that was it. She was sleeping. _"Okay brain, wake me up now,"_ she repeated in her head. _"Wake up!" _Kaya stopped and opened her mouth, managing to stumble out a few words. "I-I don't know w-what you're talking about." Her voice was smaller now, more meek and unsure. She wasn't the best at hiding her emotions.

The creature growled lower, narrowing his eyes. "Don't play stupid you pathetic girl! You may not be a child anymore, but that doesn't mean I can't recognize you. You're just as pathetic as your father." He snarled, saliva dripping from his mouth. "It's a shame, I was expecting a fight." The creature said nothing else and lunged at her.

Her heart pounced quickly within her chest, the sound ringing in her ears as she watched the creature lunge. He seemed to be moving in slow motion, and so did she. She took a step back and lifted her hands over her face to defend herself but she knew her efforts were futile; she was going to die. Her eyes pressed tightly closed as she cowered, waiting for the pain that was to come, waiting for the end. But it didn't. Nothing came. Was that a good sign? Maybe he did it quickly. She peeked one eye open and saw nothing but the unfamiliar landscape from before. She wasn't dead?! But how! Wait, something else was there. In place of the creature was now someone else; he was very tall, fair skinned like she was but he had some strange paintings or something on his face, and he had long pointy ears. He also had extremely long silver hair and something huge and fluffy wound around his shoulder. Kaya sat there completely still, afraid to move. Had this new creature done something to the old creature? Oh this was just getting weirder!

The new creature turned to look at her over his shoulder, narrowing his golden honey eyes but he said nothing. His gaze pierced into her and she cowered, her body frozen by his stare but something inside of her, some force dared her to stare back, so she did.

Suddenly his fists clenched before releasing, his gaze softening for only a moment. "Kaya." His voice was cool, slipping through his mouth easily as he spoke her name.

Kaya blinked. _What? How did he know her name?!_ "H-How do y-you know my n-name?"

Before she had even finished speaking the being turned his back to her and without another word or motion toward her, he disappeared into the shadows, moving so fast that it was nothing more than a blur.

_How did he move so fast?!_ Up until today Kaya had never even realized that it was possible for someone to move that fast on their own! But of course it wasn't possible, none of this was possible. None of it was even real, either she was still dreaming or she had gone crazy for one reason or another. Both possibilities seemed probable. Kaya shook her head, gathering her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She buried her head in her knees while shaking it, which caused it to bump into the bone on each side. _"Oh god what did I do, how did I get here? I just want to go home."_

**From the Author**: Welcome to my story! I hope you enjoy it, please review! I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, although I did create and own Kaya.


	2. Chapter II

Kagome glanced up at the sky, sighing softly. Her gaze lowered as she looked toward Inuyasha, but then quickly looked away from him. She emitted another soft sigh and began to turn back in the direction of the well.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha, but I need to go back. I feel horrible for leaving Kaya so suddenly like that." Kagome made a full turn back towards the well when suddenly Inuyasha's hand grasped her shoulders, and he turned her around.

"Oh no you don't! You've already spent wayyy to much time at home. That _girl_ will be fine, she even told you to come back."

Kagome looked towards Inuyasha, shaking her head as she began to turn away once more. "No, she was just saying that to be nice, I could tell. I need to go back."

Inuyasha growled and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around once more. "No! You've been gone long enough! We need to find Naraku and we need to find more jewel shards! Now lets go!" Inuyasha suddenly grabbed Kagome and swung her over his shoulder, grabbing her legs with his free hand to make sure she didn't try to get away.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and began to kick, "Inuyasha, put me down now!"

Inuyasha ignored her question and began to jump through the forest, making his way back to their group.

--

Where was she? Kaya's head lifted slightly from her knees, her eyes peeking out from behind her hair as she studied the area before her. There was nothing here just.. forest, and the well. This was all to strange, so bizarre. She had to be dreaming, that was it. She was just dreaming. She huffed softly when she suddenly saw a blurr of red pass right in front of her. She blinked as she turned her head to the side, seeing Kagome being carried by that Inuyasha dog. She lifted her hand, waving it around as she yelled, "Kagome!"

Kagome huffed as she yelled, "Sit boy!" She jumped off Inuyasha just moments before he fell to the ground. She huffed once again as she brushed herself off.

Kaya smiled and ran towards Kagome, leaping over Inuyasha but accidentally hitting him with her foot. She didn't even notice. Her arms opened as she threw them around Kagome. "Oh Kagome! God, I'm so happy to see you!"

Kagome's eyes widened as Kaya hugged her, her arms wrapping around her delicately. Kagome swung her backpack off her shoulder and let it fall to the ground, her eyes remaining wide, "Kaya?? How did you get here?!"

Kaya shook her head, "Oh, I don't know! I threw a stick into the well and when I went to go get it some strange purple light lured me into it and now I'm here and I was attacked by some blue creature but another creature saved me and oh god, I'm just so happy to see you two!" She spoke quickly, her words slurred together but she didn't care. They were here!

Kagome shook her head, her hand patting Kaya's back gently. "There there, it's okay now." Kagome flashed her a reassuring smile, a genuine one.

Inuyasha looked at Kaya, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her. "Lured you? Hey Kagome, does Kaya have any jewel shards on her?"

Kagome blinked once more and looked over Kaya, shaking her head, "N-no, she doesn't."

Inuyasha blinked, "Then how the hell did she get here?!"

Kagome blinked once again, "I have no idea." She stared at Kaya in disbelief. How the heck?

Kaya looked completely dumbfounded as she stared at the pair, "Erm..am I missing something?"

--

_"Why am I here?"_Kaya sat with her legs criss-crossed on the ground, the slowly fading light of the dim fire reflecting off her pale features. Her gaze remained fixated on the fire, as if she was in a trace. Kagome had explained to her all about the Feudal Era, along with Inuyasha and also Miroku, Sango and Shippo when she met them. They all seemed very nice, well, except for Miroku. Immediately upon seeing her he asked if she would bear his children. That was weird. But this whole thing was just so strange. Kagome could travel into the past and so could she, but _why_? She had no affiliation with this Sacred Jewel so how could she pass through the well? Her eyes continued to focus in when a voice suddenly pulled her from her trance-like state, her head jerking upwards and her eyes blinking a few times. She shook her head before her head moved slightly to the side, staring at Inuyasha whom had just spoken to her. "Erm, I'm sorry, I space out. What did you say?" Her tone was a whisper.

Inuyasha rose to his feet, moving a few paces towards her. He knelt down, studying her features rather curiously. "I said you seem strangely familiar."

Kaya quirked a brow as she stared at Inuyasha. "Familiar? What do you mean?"

Inuyasha fell back onto his haunches, crossing his legs. He shrugged, "I'm not sure, you just do. Like your scent does, I don't know."

Kaya snorted softly, shaking her head as she looked back to the fire, "Whatever, _doggy_."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and jumped up and said in a rather loud voice, "I'm not a dog! I'm a dog demon!"

Kaya's eyes widened as she grabbed onto Inuyasha's pant leg, jerking on it, causing him to fall to the ground. She got a rather sour expression on her face as she leaned in towards him, whispering in a rather hushed voice, "Will you shut up?! Everyone is asleep!"

Inuyasha snorted as he slowly sat up, crossing his arms, "Sorry."

Kaya shook her head and slowly stood up.

Inuyasha looked up at her, raising a brow, "And where do you think _you're_ going?"

Kaya shrugged, slowly beginning to walk off into the distance before stopping, peering over her shoulder at Inuyasha, "Just for a walk. Why do _you_ care?"

Inuyasha snorted, crossing his arms and looking away, "I don't, but there's plenty of demons out there that would just love to have you for a snack, and Kagome would kill me if I let you go out a-Hey, get back here!"

Kaya chuckled as she began to skip into the woods, disappearing into the darkness.

Inuyasha quickly jumped up and growled, yelling rather loudly, "Dammit Kaya! You stupid human!"


	3. Chapter III

Kaya's dainty feet pressed gingerly into the soil as she walked along the dark forest path, her eyes scanning ahead and to her sides. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go for a walk at such a late hour. As her eyes scanned ahead Kaya began to hum a soft tune her mother used to sing to her as a child, which oddly enough made her less afraid of the dark. She continued to hum when she suddenly heard a stick snap in the shadows. She jumped and then turned towards the sound, studying the shadows before her. "W-who's there?!" Kaya watched when suddenly a tall, standing well over 6 foot, thing with long, sliverish hair and pale skin slowly emerged from the shadows. Kaya's eyes widened slightly as her mouth opened, "Hey! You're that thing from earlier!"

The 'thing's' eyes narrowed slightly as Kaya spoke. "This Sesshomaru is not a 'thing'." His tone was even and deep, and even slightly melodic.

Kaya's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, studying him intently. Who was he?. "Is that your name?"

The 'thing' made no movements and didn't correct her, so she took that as a yes.

Her eyes narrowed in thought she her head tilted slightly to the side, "No, you're not a thing. You're a human..just you have pointy ears."

The beings eyes narrowed a sliver more, "This Sesshomaru is not a human." His hand twitched slightly and his fingers curled inwards, but he made no other movement.

Kaya took a step back, her eyes wandering up him, and then back down him. "Ooooh, then you must be one of those demons that Inuyasha keeps warning me about."

The being's eyes now widened as she said Inuyasha's name. "Inuyasha?" The name rolled off his tongue like a deadly venom.

Kaya nodded softly, "Yes. He's some kind of dog demon, even though I think he's a just plain dog." She chuckled softly to herself. She didn't seem to catch on to the distaste Sesshomaru had for Inuyasha, made clear by the way he said the name.

The being studied her, taking a few moments before speaking. "You don't remember this Sesshomaru, do you?"

Kaya quirked a brow, "Remember you? Why would I remember yo-" But before she could finish, the being had turned and walked away. Kaya tilted her head slightly as she ran after him, "Hey! Wait a second!" The being stopped, Kaya slowly moving up to his side. Her gaze slowly wandering up to his. "I haven't thanked you for saving me earlier, so thank you." Her hands tucked into her lap as she turned towards him, leaning forward in a bow. She held her stance for a few moments before rising. "My name is Kaya, it's nice to meet you." Her eyes danced with curiosity as she watched him and waited for his reply, her body bending forward in a low bow.

Sesshomaru straightened up, his eyes watching Kaya though they showed no emotion, gave no hints to what he was thinking. Suddenly he turned and began to walk away.

Kaya just simply watched him go, waiting until she knew he was gone before continuing down the path she had been previously taking. The silence hung within the air as she began to softly hum the tune her mother used to sing to her, killing the silence that dwelled around her.

--

The moon continued to rise over head, filling less and less of the forest with it's light. Kaya's gaze began to travel around the darkened forest, the dim rays of the moon illuminating her pale features. Her mouth opened slightly as she sighed, slowly sitting down on the ground. She slipped off her shoes and began to rub her sore feet. Sleep called to her, trying to lure her into an unconscious state but she fought it back, not wanting to sleep until she got back to the others. She slowly put her shoes back on as her head lifted, beginning to glance around the forest once more. It had been hours since she had left the Kagome and the rest, and had left the protection of the warm fire. A small frown slowly began to curve around her pale lips as her head suddenly lifted, hearing rustling of leaves within the forest. Her gaze slowly turned in the direction of the sound as she saw a tall, dark skinned man slowly emerge from the shadows. He had long black hair, a long tail, wore fur as his clothes and appeared to have two glowing objects in his legs, and one in his arm. The man's eyes narrowed in concentration as he stared at Kaya, his mouth falling open in surprise. "How the hell did you get here?!"

Kaya pushed her hands against the soil as she slowly lifted herself to her feet, staring at the man. "I have no idea but I'd love to know." She folded her arms and rolled her eyes before suddenly stopping. "Wait, do you know me? Who are you?"

His eyes wandered up and down her body, studying her very carefully. "My my, you've grown into quite an attractive woman in these last 10 years." He chuckled softly, his tone clearly teasing, but Kaya hardly found it amusing. Why was he teasing her?

Kaya rolled her eyes once more. "Please answer my questions." She huffed.

The man quirked a brow at her sudden mood change. "Now, now. There's no need to get hasty. Wait, you mean you don't remember? Oh that's right you were ah- never mind. I'm Koga, leader of the Wolf Demon tribe. And who are you?" His question almost seemed to be sarcastic.

"My name is Kaya, it's nice to meet you." Kaya leaned forward to bow but Koga just stood there.

"Please, don't do that." Koga shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms and looking upwards.

Kaya quirked a brow but shrugged rising and straightening herself out. "Okay.."

"Ah damn, you still don't remember?! I would have figured that if you came back you would!" Koga almost growled, his eyes fixing intently on Kaya.

Kaya took a step back, shocked by Koga's sudden outburst. "What are you talking about? Why do I keep getting asked if I 'remember'? What is there to remember?!"

Koga just shook his head lightly letting out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind, don't worry about it."

Kaya studied Koga for a moment, her mouth opening to speak when a demon moved out from the shadows, lunging at both Koga and Kaya. "Give me your sacred jewel shards, wolf!"

Koga quickly grabbed Kaya and jumped out of the way, kicking the demon in the head as he jumped away, "Yeah right!" Koga landed when another demon jumped out of the shadows, striking both Koga and Kaya down. As they fell Kaya hit the ground with a loud 'thump', her limbs flailing.

Pain instantly shot through her back from where she fell but she managed to recover quickly, flipping over to her hands and knees just to come face to face with a large centipede like demon. He hissed at her and she fell backwards, crawling away as fast as possible, her back screaming in protest. It immediately followed her and she kicked it's head, the demon hissing but continuing to move undeterred. Kaya slunk behind a tree, kicking at it as it wound around the tree's trunk trying to get her, hissing all the while. She kicked at it once more, swearing at it but the demon became more aggressive as it suddenly lunged at her. Kaya screamed.

--

"Remove yourself from my path." The same icy voice from earlier rang through the darkness, right behind Kaya. Just as the demon lunged a pale figure emerged from the shadows and snapped at the with a long, yellow whip-like weapon, which seemed to come from it's hand. The demon immediately fell, sliced in two.

Sesshomaru landed on his feet as his gaze slowly moved to Koga, watching the wolf demon struggle to get rid of his demon, making no attempt to go and help him. He then turned to Kaya although he made no attempt to go to her.

Kaya winced slightly as the pain sunk in but she tried her best to conceal it, pressing her palms against the ground and pushing herself up to a standing position. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up to Sesshomaru, trying to focus in on him. "S..Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru didn't reply, just simply remained silent.

In the meantime Koga had somehow managed to run off his demon and had made his way over to the pair, watching them with a smirk on his face, "Well isn't that sweet." His words were clearly sarcastic.

Sesshomaru shot Koga a look, "Watch your tongue, wolf."

Kaya looked between the two, clearly confused. "What do you mean, _sweet_?"

Koga simply snorted and shook his head, saying nothing although he shot what looked like a glare at Sesshomaru.

Kaya quirked a brow but let it be, sick of pestering everyone to give her information today; there would be more time for that tomorrow. "Okay.. Well then thank you for saving me."

Koga just simply shrugged, "Whatever." He looked to the two before turning and running away, disappearing into shadows that cloaked the forest.

Kaya watched Koga leave before she peered up to Sesshomaru, saying nothing, not quite knowing what to say. Thank you would have probably been good, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything at all. As she looked up at Sesshomaru he met her gaze, his holding a certain smoldering fierceness unlike anything she had ever seen before. Then as Kaya finally brought herself to speak she was cut off by someone else, the voice childish and relieved, "Lord Sesshomaru! We've finally found you!"


	4. Chapter IV

"Oh my Lord I'm so glad I've found you! I've been looking for what seemed like ages." A small girl with long black hair ran up to Sesshomaru with a large smile on her face, her hands clapping before falling to her sides.

A small toad looking creature dashed out of the shadows after the child, "Rin! How dare you run away from the like that! You could get yourself killed!!" His voice was loud and shrill, yet with a hint of rasp to it.

Rin just simply ignored the creature and smiled up to Sesshomaru, before glancing up at Kaya. She quickly tucked behind Sesshomaru's leg, peeking her head out from behind it, starting at her with curious eyes before peering up to Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru nodded his head, letting Rin know that it was alright,

Rin peered back to Kaya before she made a cautious step towards her. "Oh.. Hello. My name is Rin." She bowed in Kaya's direction.

Kaya looked down at Rin and smiled. She very slowly lowered herself to her haunches, to make herself seem less intimidating to Rin. "Hello Rin. My name is Kaya, it's nice to meet you."

Rin smiled as Jaken ran up to the trio, scooting beside Sesshomaru and whispering up at him, "Who is this human, my lord? I hope not another human you saved, we don't need another one of those."

Sesshomaru glanced down at Jaken, narrowing his eyes as he said in a cold, monotone voice, "Watch your tongue, Jaken."

Jaken cowered beneath Sesshomaru before dropping to the ground on his hands and knees, "Please forgive me, my lord, I meant nothing by it."

Kaya watched the small confrontation curiously as she too dropped down to her hands and knees, but for a different reason. She crawled a few steps forward towards Jaken, tilting her head as she studied him, a look of sheer curiosity resting on her features. "What kind of an animal are you?" Kaya extended her arm and poked Jaken with a finger.

Jaken quickly jumped up and yelled, "I am not an animal I am an imp! My name is Jaken and I am Lord Sesshomaru's faithful servant!"

Kaya sat up and shrugged, "Oh, sorry. Well it's nice to meet you, Jaken."

Jaken narrowed his eyes as Rin came towards the two, looking to Jaken, "Now Master Jaken calm down, Lady Kaya didn't mean anything by it."

Rin frowned as Kaya winced, her hand moving from her side against her back, supporting it. A small surge of pain was suddenly sent through her body, caused by the large amounts of movement she had just done.

Rin turned around as she saw Kaya, coming and standing by her side, "Are you alright?"

Kaya let out a slow breath as she nodded, forcing the most genuine smile she could muster, "Yes, I'll be fine."

Rin frowned as she slowly stood up, "No, you're hurt. Maybe you should travel with me and my lord for awhile." Rin turned to Sesshomaru, staring up at him, "Do you mind, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Jaken whirled around as Rin asked Sesshomaru, "Rin how dare you put such a decision on Lord Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru looked to Jaken with cold eyes, "Silence, Jaken."

Jaken quickly obeyed, slinking backwards slightly.

Sesshomaru looked to Kaya for a moment, and then to Rin, "The girl can do whatever she pleases." And with that he turned and slowly began to walk into the forest.

Rin's face lit up as she turned to Kaya, "Lady Kaya! Do you want to come with?! If you want to it'll be alright!"

Kaya smiled softly but shook her head, "I should probably be heading bac-" Her eyes widened as she saw Rin's face suddenly begin to fall, the girl's smile quickly fading from her features. "You know what, I'd love to travel with you."

The large grin returned to Rin's features when she agreed and she grabbed Kaya's hand, leading her in the direction that Sesshomaru left. "Then let's go!"

Kaya smiled down to Rin and then looked up at Sesshomaru, "Yes, let's go."

Jaken blinked as everyone suddenly disappeared, grabbing his staff and running quickly after them, "Hey! Wait for me!!"

--

"Rin, would you like a cookie?" Kaya asked Rin softly.

Rin turned to Kaya and looked at this cookie curiously, having not seen one before.

Kaya extended her hand, Rin slowly extending hers and taking the cookie from her. She held it up and studied it. "Cookie.." Rin muttered softly, the strange word rolling from her tongue with an odd accent.

Kaya smiled, "It's a sugar cookie. Try it, it's good."

Rin slowly held it up to her mouth and took a small bite, a large grin instantly lighting up her features. "Twis iws gud!"

Kaya chuckled as her smile broadened, "I'm glad, but next time chew your food before speaking, ok?"

Rin smiled and swallowed, "Alright." Rin quickly devoured the rest of her cookie but by this time Jaken had come over to investigate the cookie that Kaya had just introduced to them.

Jaken looked curiously at it before looking up to Kaya, "Can I have one?"

Kaya smiled as she handed one to Jaken, "Of course you can."

Jaken grabbed the oddly shaped food and examined it before he cautiously took a bite out of it, his head nodding vigorously, "This is excellent! What do you call this wonderful piece of food again?"

Kaya chuckled, "A cookie." Kaya looked down at her small baggie of cookies that she had taken out of her backpack, which she had gone back for just a few hours ago. Luckily she had found Kagome who accompanied her back to their era. The return trip to her time and then back to the past had been.. interesting. It took her a few moments both ways just to stop shaking from shock. Hopefully she'd get over that. Kaya lifted the cookie to her mouth to take a bite when Sesshomaru suddenly came to a halt, his eyes narrowing softly as he looked into the forest.

Jaken quickly scurried up to his lord's side, looking up at him. "What is it my lord?"

Sesshomaru just simply ignored the question as he clenched his sword, quickly withdrawing it. They all watched as Sesshomaru leapt into the air, slashing at the trees, a strange blue light coming from his sword.

A woman suddenly leapt from the safety of the forest, landing 10 ft. from the group.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as Jaken looked to the women, "Kagura! How dare you show your face here!" He clutched his staff, facing it towards the woman.

The woman now known as Kagura simply ignored the imp, looking directly at Sesshomaru. She was tall and had jet black hair, her eyes a bright shade of red. A soft smirk began to curve around her lips as she fanned herself with her fan, studying Sesshomaru. "How good it is to see you again, Sesshomaru. Have you thought about my offer?"

"I told you before, no. Take care of your own business," Sesshomaru retorted, his tone cold and monotone.

Kagura snorted, looking to Kaya. She slowly moved toward her, looking Kaya up and down. "Who's the human? And what kind of clothes are these?" She folded her fan, pointing at Kaya's strange attire which was a pair of dark blue jeans and a long sleeved grey shirt with a black tank top underneath.

Jaken quickly scurried over to Kagura, stepping between Kaya and Kagura. He pointed his finger at Kagura as he yelled, "How dare you talk to Kaya like that, don't you know who she is?!"

Both Kaya and Kagura rose a brow at Jaken, Kagura looking at Kaya again. Kagura snorted, "No I don't, nor do I care. Although she's too scrawny to be anything powerful." Kagura extended her arm, gently hitting Kaya's arm with her fan.

Kaya narrowed her eyes and swatted away the fan, "I don't think size has anything to do with power."

Kagura snorted once more, "Humans aren't powerful, they're pathetic little creatures. It is odd though.. Although I know you're a human you smell a bit.. different than all the others. Strange." Her voice got softer towards the end of her sentence, her eyes watching Kaya.

Nobody said anything to that statement. Kaya just stared at Kagura, not knowing what to say or how to react. Great, now she smelled weird? Just fan-freaking-tastic.

Sesshomaru slowly came over to the group, stepping between Kagura and Kaya. "Kagura, you have no more business here. Leave us." His voice was a bit more icy than normal.

Kagura rolled her eyes and took a feather from her hair, a puff of smoke surrounding her as it instantly turned into a large feather which she rode away on. Before she disappeared she shot Kaya a look, although it was hard to decipher. She didn't appear angry just.. curious maybe?

Kaya watched her go as Rin came up to her. She slowly extended her arm, tugging on Kaya's shirt as she whispered softly. "Lady Kaya? You don't smell weird to me.."

Kaya looked down at Rin and smiled, leaning towards her to embrace her in a gentle hug, wincing slightly as her back protested but she ignored it. "Thank you."

--

As Miroku threw another log onto the fire it suddenly roared to life, it's flames dancing in the oxygenated air. Miroku lifted his gaze and peered to Kagome, watching her for a moment. "Is everything alright, Kagome?"

Kagome suddenly looked up from the fire, blinking a few times. "Oh, yes, everything is fine." She hadn't realized that she wasn't paying attention to the conversation as her thoughts drifted.

Inuyasha rose from his spot and settled himself next to Kagome, his legs crossing over one another as he slipped his hands into his sleeves. "Are you sure you didn't sense any jewel shards on Kaya when she passed through the well, Kagome?" His gaze focused intently on her.

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, nodding her head, not at all surprised that Inuyasha was thinking the exact same thing she was. "I'm positive, she has none. I have no idea how she passed through the well." They had done an experiment earlier to see if Kaya's passing through the well was a fluke; it wasn't. Kaya passed through both ways without an issue, well, at least not a technical issue. She still seemed to be pretty spooked by the whole thing.

Making a small "hmm" sound Inuyasha focused in on the fire, the orange hue of the flames illuminating his features. "Up until this point I was the only one who was able to pass through the well without any shards.. What similarities do we have?"

"None, as far as we know. Kagome, you're able to detect the sacred jewel shards and pass through the well because you're a reincarnate of Kikyo, who used to protect the sacred jewel and Inuyasha you're able to pass through the well because you were.. connected to Kikyo," Miroku was careful to censor his words for Kagome's sake. "Do you think Kaya is connected to Kikyo some how?"

Kagome shook her head, "I can't see what way she could be. Kaede is her sister and can't pass through the well so I doubt anyone else related to her could."

Sango suddenly looked up, peering to the group. "Kikyo is a priestess who guarded the jewel but she certainly wasn't the first. What if Kaya is a reincarnate of another priestess who guarded the jewel?"

Miroku nodded his head, "Interesting thought, Sango."

"So if she is a reincarnate of one of the priestesses, then shouldn't she be able to detect sacred jewel shards like me?" Kagome looked to the others.

Miroku nodded once more, "That will be the test. Did Kaya say anything about detecting anything strange when she passed through?"

Kagome shook her head, "No.. although she was pretty overwhelmed by the whole thing so she may have and just not have noticed it."

"Damn," Inuyasha scoffed, shaking his head. "The only way to find out is to track her down and she's with Sesshomaru."

Miroku nodded his head, taking his term to make a light 'hmm' sound. "That does pose a problem.."

"Why is she traveling with him anyway? I thought Sesshomaru despised humans and yet he let her join him so easily?" Sango looked up, a small cloth moving over her Hiraikotsu as she started to clean it.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders lightly, "I don't know but it doesn't matter. We have to track her down and find out if she can sense the shards or not. I'm sure they haven't gotten too far, we'll find them in the morning."

Kagome merely nodded her head as Inuyasha spoke, saying nothing. She didn't like the fact that Kaya had decided to join Sesshomaru so readily, it left a bad feeling in her stomach. Kaya had no idea just how dangerous Sesshomaru was, how he could kill her in an instant for no reason at all.. Although, it was strange how Sesshomaru _did_ let Kaya travel with him so easily. Why had he? Did Kaya feel indebted to him since he saved her? That was possible, but she still didn't like it.

_I'll try to convince Kaya to come back with me in the morning. _Kagome nodded lightly to herself. _I just hope she comes back with me.._ That was going to be the tricky part, trying to convince her to come back. _I'll just tell her how dangerous Sesshomaru is, then I'm sure she'll see reason. _Yes, that's how she'll do it. Let Kaya know she's traveling with a very lethal demon. That would scare away any sane human.


	5. Chapter V

Kaya held onto the reins of Ah-Un as the group tred through the forest, the sun disappearing behind the trees as the day faded into night. Kaya adjusted Rin's head ever so slightly to the side so she wasn't resting directly on her chest but instead near the crook of her shoulder, which gave her more movement in one arm. It was odd, in these past few days that she had been with them Rin had taken quite a liking to her, so much more than she would have excepted. She didn't mind in the slightest, she just found it a bit odd.

Kaya stopped for a moment as she saw Ah-Un's two heads moving towards her backpack, apparently smelling the food which she had stored inside it. Kaya swung her backpack around to her front, the opposite side of Rin, and unzipped it, taking out two cookies. She handed one to each head and smiled, petting each of them on the snout before rezipping her backpack and swinging it back around to her back. Her body was still incredibly sore but she had to force herself to get over it, Sesshomaru made it clear that he would not wait for her if she fell behind…

"_Lord Sesshomaru please, she needs to rest." _Rin looked up at Sesshomaru with pleading eyes as Kaya grasped onto a tree, but she didn't object with Rin's pleading. She _did_ need to rest. Her body screamed and ached, wanting so desperately to lie down if only for a few minutes.

"_When this Sesshomaru has decided to stop you may rest. Ride on Ah-Un if you must but if you fall behind, we will not wait for you." _Sesshomaru shot Kaya a glance, his eyes cutting into her body like daggers.

Kaya had inhaled sharply as he spoke and then glared at her. She swallowed hard as she climbed onto the back of the dragon demon, her hands gripping the reins tightly as she fought back tears. The words and glare hurt more than it should have.

...Her mouth parted as she yawned, apparently feeling the jetlag from her trip over and her lack of sleep; in the past few days she'd gotten 15 hours of sleep at best. Sesshomaru rarely stopped to rest and when he did, it was only for a short period of time, not nearly long enough for her to get a good night's rest. Her mouth slowly shut when she looked ahead of her, noticing Jaken's head turned around slightly and staring at her. Her brow quirked slightly when Jaken quickly turned back around, scurrying back up to Sesshomaru's side. Kaya's head shook and she snorted almost audibly, looking up to Rin for a moment. Her gaze lingered on her for a few moments when she noticed Jaken staring at her once again, Kaya this time lightly tugging on the reins causing Ah-Un to go faster, coming up behind him. She bent down and picked him up with relative ease, bringing him to her face and narrowing her eyes, "Can I help you?"

Jaken gasped and began to shake in an attempt to escape Kaya's grasp, but failed miserably. His head shook vigorously, "No!"

Kaya narrowed her eyes a bit more, "Then why were you staring at me?" Jaken began to wiggle more, but this time Kaya just simply dropped him.

Jaken 'hmphed' and straightened himself out, waiting for a few moments before he looked back up to Kaya. "How long have you been around this area for Kaya?"

Kaya quirked a brow slightly, surprised by his question. "I had just arrived a day before I joined Lord Sesshomaru and yourself." She had picked up on calling Sesshomaru 'Lord', picking up early on that Sesshomaru was on that demanded respect and would settle for nothing less.

"But how can that be!" Jaken grasped onto the Staff of Two Heads and shook his own head, closing his eyes.

Kaya stared at him, "What are you talking about? I passed through the well and here I am." She had taken the time to explain to Jaken and Rin about the well and even a little bit about her own time period.

"No, I mean-" Before Jaken could even finish his sentence Sesshomaru cut him off.

"Silence Jaken." His words were ice, cutting through the air.

Jaken instantly dropped to his knees next to Sesshomaru, his arms stretching out in front of him. "I'm so sorry my Lord, please forgive me."

Kaya's eyebrows furrowed together as she watched the scene, gently pulling on the reins to stop Ah-Un before they ran over Jaken. That was the first time Sesshomaru had spoken in days and it was to stop Jaken. What was Jaken going to say?

--

"They're just up ahead!" Inuyasha yelled at the others who flew above him on the demon cat Kirara, his grip tightening slightly on Kagome's legs as he carried her on his back. It had taken many more days than he had expected to find them, it almost seemed like they were trying to out run him. Bursting through the trees Inuyasha skid to a stop, almost slamming into Ah-Un.

Before they had even emerged from the forest Sesshomaru was standing with his hand clutching his sword, waiting to draw it from his sheath. Jaken took his place next to his Lord, clutching the Staff of Two Heads.

Rin slipped behind Sesshomaru, her tiny hands clutching onto his pant legs as she peeked out from behind him.

Kagome jumped off Inuyasha's back just as Kirara landed next to them, Miroku, Sango and Shippo jumping off her back swiftly. Each clung to their respective weapons as Kagome stepped forward. "Kaya!"

Kaya was quickly on her feet, although she reacted much slower than Sesshomaru and Jaken had. As she saw Kagome a wide grin spread across her face, "Kagome!" She quickly moved to hug her, very happy to see her. The two had spent little time together but they had had already formed a sort of a bond. They were the only two, save for Inuyasha, who could pass through the well. That had to stand for something, right? "What are you all doing here?" She gave the group a confused look.

"Kaya, we need you to try something for us." Miroku stepped closer to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me, what do you sense?"

Kaya blinked, pulling her head backwards ever so slightly with surprise. What did she sense? She was about to answer when suddenly she heard an icy tone from behind her, her body whirling around to face Sesshomaru.

"How dare you interrupt this my travels. What does this regard?" His eyes were narrowed to slits now, his sword was drawn and held at his side.

Inuyasha snorted, now drawing his own sword, the Tetsusaiga. "We want to see if she can sense the sacred jewel shards, of course I hardly see how this affects _you_, Sesshomaru."

Jaken suddenly burst forward, coming to stand a few feet from Inuyasha. "How _dare_ you talk to my lord in such a manner you half breed!"

Inuyasha snarled, lifting his sword and facing it towards Sesshomaru and Jaken. Sesshomaru took a step forward, lifting his sword. "What did you just call me, imp?"

Kagome stepped in between them, pushing her hand against Inuyasha's chest. "Okay you two let's not fight, we have more important things to take care of." She looked to Kaya, grabbing the small vial she kept tied around her neck. "These are a few of the sacred jewel shards, Kaya. Do you sense anything like them around here?" Kagome knew for a fact that there was a jewel shard not too far off, so if Kaya was able to she'd be able to sense it.

Kaya held the vial in her hand for a moment, staring at the shards that lay within it. After a few moments she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I don't.. sense anything." She handed the vial back to Kagome.

Inuyasha snorted, lowering his sword slightly, "Dammit!"

Miroku shook his head, "Well, so much for that theory.."

Sesshomaru took another step forward, closing the gap between himself and Kaya and the others. Rin moved with him, tucked defensively behind his leg. "This Sesshomaru will ask again. What does this concern, little brother?"

Inuyasha snorted, raising his sword once more. "I told you, we wanted to see if Kaya could sense the sacred jewel shards!"

Kaya shook her head, looking at Inuyasha. "No.. I think he means _why_ do you want to know if I can sense the shards?" She was wondering the same thing.

Miroku spoke in a serious tone, "Only Kagome and Inuyasha can pass through the well and it's because they both have a link to the sacred jewel, so we assumed that you may have the same link as them."

"What link is that?" Kaya crossed her arms.

"I'm the reincarnate of a priestess named Kikyo, Kaya and Inuyasha was.. linked to her in the past." Kagome spoke gently. She seemed to wince as she spoke the last half, Inuyasha didn't notice.

"When my clan of demon slayers found the sacred jewel we decided to pass it on to Kikyo who was a very powerful priestess because we knew she'd be capable of handling it. We assumed that you may be a reincarnate of another priestess that guarded it many years ago, but it seems like that isn't the case.." Sango lowered her weapon and Shippo moved to peek over her shoulder, watching the happenings.

"So then there's still no explanation as to why I can pass through the well.." Kaya looked down for a moment in thought. This was something that had been bothering her since she first crossed into the Feudal Era. How was she able to pass through the well? What in her allowed her to do so?

Miroku shook his head, "No. We don't have an explanation yet.."

Inuyasha sighed, lowering his sword once more but he didn't replace it in his sheath, he would never leave himself unguarded around Sesshomaru. "Talk about a wasted trip.. Where were you all heading so fast anyway? It took us days to track you down."

"Our destination and rate of travel is none of your concern." Sesshomaru snapped.

Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever. Let's go then, Kagome said there was a Jewel Shard around here."

"Before we go I'd like to speak to Kaya," Kagome peered to Kaya, grasping onto her arm and tugging her gently. She winced slightly at the movement of her arm, the healing muscles in her back protesting to being pulled along with it. Sesshomaru's gaze snapped to Kaya but he said nothing, just appeared to be watching intently. Kagome leaned towards Kaya, speaking in a low voice. "I need to talk to you about something important, do you think you can get away for a moment?"

Kaya peeked around her shoulder for a moment to Sesshomaru, who didn't move from his spot. "Just for a moment.."

--

"I know Kagome, I've seen him fight." Kaya remembered back to the two fights that she had seen Sesshomaru partake in; each time his opponent had lost their lives.

"No Kaya, he's so much more dangerous than you could possibly imagine. He's a deadly demon, he cares about no one but himself," Kagome kept her tone low, just in case someone happened to be listening. "Please, come back with me."

Kaya sighed, her gaze lowering to the ground. "I can't.. I told Rin I would stay with her, I can't go back on that." She told Rin that she would travel with her and she couldn't go back on that no matter how deadly Sesshomaru was, she'd have to take her chances.

"Kaya, think about yourself for a moment. You're risking your life!" Kagome said the last few words a bit too loudly.

Kaya shook her head a final time, turning to face the direction that Sesshomaru and the others were. "Thank you for your concern Kagome but that's a risk I'm going to have to take. I told Rin I'd stay with her, I can't go back on that.." Plus Sesshomaru had saved her, twice now. Why would he suddenly snap and kill her?

Kagome sighed but she couldn't protest, if she was in the same situation she'd do the same. "Just be careful, Kaya, okay?" Unfortunately there were no time restrictions so she couldn't tell her to hurry back.

"Of course, Kagome. I'll see you then." Kaya flashed Kagome a quick smile and leaned forward to hug her briefly, patting his back gently before she turned, disappearing into the thick foliage and emerging a few moments later in the clearing where her group had taken their unexpected break.

Rin came bouncing up to her, pulling gently on her shirt. "Lady Kaya! Lord Sesshomaru has already begun to leave, we have to hurry." She pulled on the shirt, tugging her along.

Kaya turned to stare at Kagome and the others behind her through the trees, lifting her hand to wave good-bye before she disappeared through the forest. She was careful not to look directly at their faces, not wanting to see the expressions they wore. Kaya sighed and turned back around, catching up with Sesshomaru and Jaken quickly. She helped Rin up on Ah-Un as much as she could, unable to lift her due to her injuries. Instead of hopping on with her she chose to walk, her hand gripping the reins as she matched the others pace.


End file.
